Love the Skin You’re in with Neutrogena

Along with beaches, BBQ smoke and the noise of busying cicadas, an integral part of the great Kiwi summer is the smell and feel of suntan lotion on skin. If you spend time outside, it’s an everyday essential, along with rashies, hats and sunnies.

However, unlike a lot of other choices we face as consumers, our choice of sunscreen can have real repercussions for our families’ health. That’s why it’s important not to skimp on sunscreen. Not only must your choice of sunscreen be affordable enough to apply liberally, it’s got to offer broad UV protection with minimum greasiness and a pleasant smell.

So as part of our mission to inform consumers of the best NZ has to offer, Canstar Blue canvassed the opinions of 1486 New Zealanders who had purchased and used sunscreen in the past 12 months, across a range of categories, to measure and track their satisfaction.

To decide which suncreen offers the best level of customer satisfaction, each was rated across the following categories:

• Ease of Absorption
• Effectiveness
• Packaging/Ease of Dispensing
• Smell/Scent
• Texture and Consistency
• Value for Money

Coming out on top is Neutrogena, the US skincare giant put its competition in the shade, taking out our research’s only 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction. It did so on the back of an impressive tally of 5-Star ratings in all of the above categories, except Value for Money, for which it earned 4 Stars. The result is five for five for Neutrogena, which has won each of our past five sunscreen awards – a truly fantastic achievement.

Both Nivea and Cancer Society also rate highly in this year’s award, both scoring a 4-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction. Nivea also excels with the only 5-Star rating for Value for Money.

What Kiwis Want From Their Sunscreen

Given the dangers of overexposure to the sun – especially for delicate young skin – it’s no surprise that Effectiveness is the most important consideration for those in our survey, followed by Value for Money and the all-important Texture and Consistency of the lotion. There’s nothing worse than feeling greased up at the beach, only to start feeling like a piece of fine-grade sandpaper shortly afterwards! Overall, the main drivers of satisfaction:

Suntans: Health vs Beauty!

Over past decades, the dangers of sun exposure couldn’t have been made much clearer. So, it’s ironic that the majority of us still associate suntans with a healthy lifestyle.

A third of those in our survey say that they like having a sun-tan. Of those, 71% say it’s because it makes them look healthier, and 58% think it makes them feel healthier, too.

And nearly half (42%) admit that they still don’t apply sunscreen when they go out in the sun – although a similar number (44%) say they wish they’d taken more precautions when they were younger.

So, instead of regretting your sun-protection when it’s too late. Make sure you make all the right choices now for the health of your own skin and that of your family. When you go outside this summer, make sure you slip, slop slap on the best in protective sun lotion: Neutrogena!